Bundelsliga champions Wolfsburg reached the Champions League semifinals after playing out an entertaining 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain at a bouncing Volkswagen Arena. A 1-0 win in Paris last week saw them through.
Alexandra Popp put the German champions in front, against the run of play, on 20 minutes. After winning the ball back in midfield, she finished off a sweeping move by curling the ball into the top-left corner on the half-slide.
The visitors struck back 10 minutes later, when Kadidiatou Diani beat Dominique Janssen to the ball to head her side level.
Wolfsburg were guilty of missing a series of second-half chances but held on to set up a final-four clash against Arsenal.
“We are mega happy and proud,” said Popp after the final whistle in an interview with broadcaster DAZN.
“It was a tough fight, also because we missed some huge chances, including me when I hit the ball against the post.”
Wolfsburg start slow but buoyed by vocal crowd
The Shewolves came into their crucial quarterfinal second-leg clash on the back of a last-gasp loss to title-rivals Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, which saw the Bavarian side leapfrog their opponents at the top of the league table.
Prior to the match against PSG, head coach Tommy Stroot said the defeat had made the team hungrier for success.
“The defeat against Bayern has sharpened our senses,” he explained. “We want to regain the feeling of winning games.”
Speaking about the 14,367 spectators in the ground, Stroot was equally buoyed by playing in front of a larger crowd, saying: “Being able to play in the big arena makes it [the Champions League game against PSG] more special than it already is.”
But, despite the homefield advantage, Wolfsburg began the match against PSG much like they had the first leg, second to every ball across the entire pitch.
PSG’s biggest threat came through Diani, who thought she had sprung the offside trap and given the visitors the lead after 11 minutes only for VAR to intervene.
Though the French striker eventually chalked up a valid goal, the 27-year-old was forced off at the break in tears with a shoulder injury which changed the complexion of the match.
Wolfsburg dominated much of the second 45, as Popp, Lena Lattwein and Sveindis Jonsdottir were all denied by the post while Sarah Bouhaddi pulled off a number important saves too.
Germany’s no.1 Merle Frohms was relatively untroubled but did pull off an impressive full-length diving stop from midfielder Kheira Hamraoui late on.
After the much-needed confidence boost, Popp was keen to focus on Wolfsburg’s next Champions League opponents, saying: “We know how Arsenal play and will be well prepared to then hopefully take the last step to the final.”
Edited by: Matt Pearson
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